


I'll Be Your Home

by glowworm888



Category: South Park
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Broken Families, Child Abuse, Home, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 07:38:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16656973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowworm888/pseuds/glowworm888
Summary: Trigger Warning: Abuse





	I'll Be Your Home

A lot of times when Butters' dad got angry, it was a short-lived tantrum that, at worst, got Butters sent to his room. Every once in a while though, when Butters screwed up real bad, that's when his dad got scary. 

It happened when Butters had neglected to tell his parents before he went to hang out with his friends. He didn't even think about it. He certainly didn't do it to be deceiving. It was an accident.

"You listen here Young Man, I'm speaking to you" his dad shouted. Butters refused to let his eyes connect with his dad's. He looked around for his mom. She wouldn't do anything to stop it, but he knew she cared about him. That was comforting enough for him to take the beatings. Knowing at least one of his parents loved him. 

"Look me in my eyes!" 

Butters lifted his eyes. His dad was fuming red. He didn't understand why his dad got so angry at him if he didn't care about him. 

He wouldn't get mad at me if he didn't care. He must love me, even just a little. 

"I'm not dealing with you anymore you lying, deceiving child!" 

The first strike hit him across the face. He grunted him pain, but didn't scream. He learned that screaming made things worse. 

The second hit got him in the eye. Butters bit his lip to keep him from yelping. He squeezed his eyes shut; partially from the pain, but also because he didn't want to see where he was getting hit next. A kick to the ribs sent him to the ground, and he heard his dad start backing away. 

"You're not welcome in this house until tomorrow" his dad growled. Butters opened his good eye to see his dad walking up the stairs. He estimated he had about five minutes to get out before he took anymore damage.  He grabbed the closest one of his jackets he could find, and walked out the front door. The cold February air pierced his cheeks as he walked in whatever direction felt right. He considered going to one of his friends' houses, but he didn't want them to see him like he was. His left eye was swollen shut, his cheek had a gash on it from his dad's wedding ring, and he was stumbling from the pain in his ribs. He wanted to go where no one could see or hear him. The first place that came to mind was the abandoned elementary school. It had shut down long before Butters had started school, and lived on the edge of South Park in the middle of the bad neighborhood. 

He staggered across town, wiping the blood from his face with his hand so it wouldn't get on his jacket. When he reached the playground, he sat on the furthest swing and let himself hunch over in defeat. He waited for the shaking sobs to take over his body, but he just couldn't get them to come. He was too tired and too hurt. 

"Butters?" A distant, broken voice called. 

Maybe it's God. He's come to rescue me. 

Butters didn't lift his head. His eyes kept fixated on the grungy wood chips below him. 

"Butters, what are you doing here?" 

It didn't sound like God anymore. It sounded like it was in pain. Suddenly, he started panicking. What if it was one of his friends or someone he went to school with? He wiped the blood from his cheek and looked across at the boy who was wandering towards him. At first, Butters didn't recognize who it was, but the familiar orange parka clued him in. 

"Butters, can't you hear me?" 

Kenny's hair was ragged and dry. It wasn't very often Butters saw him without his hood, so his condition took him by surprise. 

"I can hear you. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't disturb you" he shivered. He tucked his head into his jacket to hide his cut. 

"What are you doing out here? It's below freezing" Kenny asked, tucking his hands into his pockets. Butters could see his breath floating in the air when he spoke. 

"I, uh.... What are you doing here Kenny?" 

The last thing he wanted to do was explain what happened to anyone. 

"My parents, they're fighting. My brother and sister are both at friends' houses, so it's just me. I couldn't take it anymore" 

It confused him on how Kenny could say all that without a second thought. How he was just able to admit that. Kenny was looking at him, clearly waiting for the answer to the question he had asked first. 

"I... my dad, he uh... he got angry at me" 

Kenny slowly walked towards Butters, and sat in the swing next to him. Butters looked down at the ground, hoping Kenny couldn't see his eye. 

"What's on your hands?" 

Before Butters could think up a lie, Kenny grabbed his hand in his own. 

"Where did this come from?" He asked, his voice cracking with concern. 

Butters slowly lifted his head out of his jacket so Kenny could see the cut across his face. His face went white. 

"Dude..." 

Kenny's hand let go of Butters' and slowly reached towards his cheek. He had to keep from flinching as Kenny's thumb stroked across the cut. 

"I'll walk you home and help you clean that up" Kenny offered, wiping the blood on his already filthy jeans. Butters looked at him for a second, then slowly shook his head. 

"Your eye too? Alright, I'll take you back to my house, and I'll help you with those. So you need somewhere to stay?" 

Butters didn't respond. He didn't want to intrude on Kenny, especially when he was having issues himself. But he didn't want to sleep outside in February. It was supposed to snow tonight. 

"If...if it's not too much trouble" 

"Of course not" he responded with a small smile. 

He let Kenny lead him towards an old, ugly house, not too far from the playground. The minute Butters walked through the McCormick's door, he felt grateful for his home. Sure, his dad gets mad every once in a while. But at least he has food to eat and clean clothes to wear. At least there's signs of love in his house. But Kenny's was full of shattered glass, plastic cups, and dust. It was also full of yelling. It came from the kitchen, but Kenny took Butters down a hall and into a bedroom. Well, bedroom was a bit of an overstatement. It looked like it was intended to be a storage closet. It was thinking, and barely had enough room for the bunk beds inside. The floor was covered in various garbage and random toys. 

"Sit down, I'll be right back" Kenny said, sitting Butters down on the bottom bunk, then he turned away. He wiped at his cut again, adding another layer of blood on his hand. He furrowed his brows. He didn't understand how Kenny was being so inviting to him with everything he has to deal with. 

He came back with a fist full of bandages, a bottle or Neosporin, and some medical wipes. He knelt down in front of Butters and started wiping the blood away from his cheek.

"What did he cut you with?" He asked softly. 

Butters eyes flicked forward to meet Kenny's. He was concentrating on cleaning the wound while trying not to hurt him. 

"His wedding ring...he punched me"   

Kenny unwrapped a band-aid and smoothed it across Butters' cheek. 

"Funny how a symbol of love can inflict so much pain" Kenny muttered thoughtfully. 

"I suppose. I know my parents love me..." 

Kenny leaned back on his heels. 

"No one who loved you would do something like this to you Butters" Kenny said darkly. Butters gulped. 

"Well maybe my mom..." 

"No Butters. If she lets your dad do this to you, she doesn't love you. I'm sorry" Kenny's voice trailed off apologetically. Butters refused to accept that maybe, his own parents didn't love him. And just the thought of it made his eyes well up with tears, which made it more difficult for Kenny to get a look at his swollen eye. 

"Butters, hey, it's alright, you'll be okay" Kenny said, wiping the tears away from his bandage. 

"My dad once told me I'm unlovable," he said through sobs, "I guess he was right". 

Kenny felt a pain of guilt. He climbed up to sit next to Butters on the bed, then he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders. 

"That's not true, Buttercup. You're the sweetest, most adorable, most loveable guy I know. Your parents clearly have issues if they can't find it in their hearts to love you" 

Butters nodded, but continued to cry. Kenny wiped his tears away again. 

"Let's get that blood off your hands. You can stay with me as long as you need to" Kenny said, standing up. He offered his hand to Butters. 

"What about your parents? Don't they care?"  

Butters let Kenny pull him up and lead him to the tiny bathroom. He ran his hands underneath the faucet, but didn't care enough to scrub. 

"My parents don't give a shit. My brothers been gone for three weeks and they've barely noticed" he sighed. He noticed Butters wasn't making any effort to get the blood off his hands. 

"C'mon Buttercup, you've gotta get that stuff off" he muttered, reaching his hands in the sink to scrub the blood off Butters hands. 

When Kenny had done a satisfacory first-aid job, he let Butters sleep on the bottom bunk. Kenny climbed up on top, and leaned over the edge. 

"Just get some sleep, I'm right up here of you need anything" 

"Kenny...I, uh... thank you so much" Butters sighed, pulling the thin sheets over his shoulders. Kenny's bed wasn't as comfortable as his own, but he felt safer. 

"Of course" Kenny yawned. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, but Butters just couldn't. He closed his eyes, but he kept thinking about his parents and how they didn't love him. There was nothing he could do but accept it, but he didn't want to. He wanted to be loved, and was overwhelmed by the notion that he wasn't. 

At some point in the night, Butters started crying again. He tried to do so quietly so he wouldn't wake his host, but Kenny was a light enough sleeper to hear his gentle sobs. 

"Butters? You okay?"  

Butters wiped his eyes and suppressed his crying, feeling guilty about waking Kenny. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, I didn't mean to wake you up" 

Kenny crawled down off the top bunk and sat beside Butters. 

"Hey, it's alright Buttercup" he said, looking at Butters with a sympathetic look. 

"I'm okay, Kenny" he groaned, hoping Kenny would just go back to sleep. He didn't want to bother him. 

"You can talk to me Butters, it's okay" 

Butters sighed. He was worried that if he started talking, he'd break down harder. 

"I'm afraid to go home" was all he could say.

Kenny scooted closer to Butters. 

"If you feel unsafe, that isn't your home" he said, a sad undertone in his voice. Butters felt a pang of guilt, realizing Kenny was in a similar situation to him. In fact, he could still hear his parents drunkeningly screaming at each other through the thin walls. 

"But that was my only home..." Butters sniffled, wiping his eyes on his jacket sleeves. 

"Hey, Buttercup. I'll be your home if you'll be mine" 

Butters felt his cheeks turn hot. Kenny was looking at him earnestly, his head tilted. But the shadows made his eyes look sallow and pained. 

"That doesn't make sense Ken" 

"Sure it does. Do you feel safe with me?" 

Butters shrugged and nodded. He reckoned he did feel safe with Kenny. He was the one who had gave him a place to stay and patched up his face. He was the one staying awake to make him feel better. 

"I suppose..." 

"Exactly. If you need a home, just come to me. And I'll do the same"

Butters thought about it. He wanted to think of his home as where his bed is, and where his mom would bake snicker doodles. He didn't understand how a person could be a home. But even though he was in a strange house, in an uncomfortable bed, and covered in wounds, he felt safe. 

"Okay Kenny" 

Kenny smiled softly. 

"Ready to go to sleep? It's real late" 

Butters shook his head slowly, trying not to twist his ribcage. 

"I don't think I could. I'm exhausted, but I just can't sleep" 

To Butters' surprise, Kenny gestured for him to lay down. He did so to avoid arguments. However, Kenny crawled underneath the thin sheet with him and wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. 

"Goodnight Buttercup" he whispered, already drifting off. 

Butters hadn't expected to, but he found himself feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep in Kenny's arms. He was home.


End file.
